The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Malagasy pronunciations in Wikipedia articles.

English approximations are in some cases very loose, and only intended to give a general idea of the pronunciation. See Malagasy language#Phonology for details.

Consonants
IPA Orthography nearest English equivalent
b b bill
d d dill
dz j heads ~ hedge [1]
ɖʐ dr Jill ~ drill [2]
f f fill
ɡ g gill
h h hill ~ ill
k k skill
l l lill
m m mill
n n nil
ŋ song
ŋɡ ng finger
p p spill
r r rill (trilled)
s s sill ~ shill [1]
t t still
ts ts cats ~ catch [1]
ʈʂ tr chill ~ trill [2]
v v villa
z z blaze ~ beige [1]
Stress
IPA Example Note
ˈ ˌ stress (placed before stressed syllable)
Vowels
IPA Orthography nearest English equivalent
a a fat ~ father
e e pet
i i, y seat
o ô old
u o coot
Diphthongs
aj ai, ay Thai, often day
aw ao Lao, often low
ej ei, ey grey
uj oy phooey!
Reduced vowels
ə a sofa
ə̥ a paternal (whispered)
ʲ y, i dew (UK), cue: a y sound
ʷ o quick
ː (long vowel)
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 /ts dz s z/ vary between these sounds, depending on speaker and situation. The latter is especially common when followed by the vowel /i/, including its reduced form [ʲ]. That is, [sʲ] is generally closer to English shill.
  2. 2.0 2.1 As the Malagasy spellings ‹tr, dr› suggest, /ʈʂ ɖʐ/ may be released into a trill, depending on speaker and situation.

ਫਰਮਾ:IPA keys horizontal